


slow, burn, let it all fade out

by rainbowshoes



Series: you've earned everything you've found [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Background Relyo, Battle of Exegol, Betrayal, Blood, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, F/M, First Order Politics (Star Wars), Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Minor Character Death, Minor Finn/Rose Tico, Multi, Murder, Past Child Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Past Torture, Phasma Ships It, That's Not How The Force Works, Unlikely alliances, War, author is a First Order sympathizer, other people live, prosthetics for phasma, transmasc nonbinary hux
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:27:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24475747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainbowshoes/pseuds/rainbowshoes
Summary: sequel to "lights and sounds"hux and poe have made up, some, but their vacation is interrupted when kylo ren comes to warn them of the coming threat to the entire galaxy and give them the news of palpatine's reemergence onto the scene.everyone has a part to play in the coming battle, poe knows, and his newly-restored trust for hux is put to the test.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Poe Dameron/Armitage Hux
Series: you've earned everything you've found [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1767838
Comments: 13
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Dances_in_Rain](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dances_in_Rain/gifts).



TC-478 made the closest sound to a polite cough it could approximate. Hux rolled his head to the side, looking over his shoulder at the droid. "Master Hux, a TIE Silencer has breached the first proximity sensor array. It has all the proper, updated clearance codes, but…"

Hux sighed and flopped forward again. He jabbed his fingers into Poe's ribs. "The holiday is over. Ren'll be on planet in a few minutes." 

"Fuck Ren," Poe mumbled, wrapping his arm around Hux's waist and rolling so he could hide his face in Hux's shoulder. "Don't wanna move." 

Hux rolled his eyes, but he didn't shove him off, either, like he probably should have. "TC, take Mando and make sure it's only Ren. Shoot anyone else."

"Of course, Master Hux," TC-478 said, bowing before clacking away over the high-shine floors.

Poe snorted against Hux's skin. "We're killing guests now?" 

"His permission to visit this place using that clearance code is based solely on the agreement that he will come alone," Hux said, crisp and cool. "The two of you are the only outsiders who know the location of my home, and I should like to keep it that way." 

"I get it," Poe said quietly, squeezing in even closer. He'd been unbearably clingy over the last few days. Hux had bitten off his head for it a time or two, but Poe always wormed his way close again. Not even Techie was so desperate for physical affection - though Hux was fairly sure that said more about Techie than it did about Poe. That didn't mean everything between them was perfect - not by a long shot - but they were working on it. 

Hux dragged his fingers along Poe's back, teasing the skin with such a light touch. He was grateful Poe was here with him; he wouldn't deny that. Poe knew him better than anyone else - probably even better than Techie in some ways. Several ways. There were things Hux couldn't or wouldn't tell Techie. Like about Pryde. Or Brooks. Or even their father. He was sure Techie knew some of it, had gleaned it from others or through the 'net. But he hadn't gotten the truth from Hux himself, and Poe had. At least a little of it. Poe had told him in fits and starts and halting sentences about the videos he'd seen, and Hux had confirmed those, as well. 

He wasn't surprised to learn those videos still existed. 

He could still remember Brooks making him eat off the floor as a child. Humiliation had been a big thing for Brooks. Pryde had liked pain. 

His father…

He never quite figured out what made his father happy. Likely nothing.

There was no magical answer, no secret thing he could have done to make his father love him or stop hurting him. The same was true of Pryde and Brooks. He'd accepted that long ago. The pain and torment and humiliation were all a part of him, but it wasn't who he was, and he'd left it - mostly - behind. Poe had witnessed some of the worst sorts of nightmares, but he wasn't the only one who suffered nightmares. Poe had woken screaming plenty of times himself. 

The war had devastated Poe. Had taken his friends and family. Had forced him to see atrocities committed and forced him to commit them himself. Hux may not have seen combat in the war, may not have flown an x-wing or TIE fighter against an enemy, but that didn't mean he didn't have combat experience, and it didn't mean he couldn't sympathize at least a little. It was harder, flying in space where being off by a single vector could see someone smashing into the side of a cruiser like a rather explosive bug - but that was what the droids were for. Even for pilots like Poe who could do most of the math in their heads without the droid's assistance and fly just fine. It was a necessary crutch because that sort of death wasn't always quick or painless. And Poe had seen that, too. 

Hux hadn't experienced any of that. He'd flown in space, of course, but never in combat. All his combat had been ground-based. It was usually at least semi-fabricated in some way, too, but not nearly always. And the Academy had trained him well when it came to fighting off other people - one on one or several against one. Even as he was now with one leg so crippled it was practically useless, he could still hold his own. 

He thought about the prosthetics he was making for Phasma. He wondered if he should get rid of the shit leg and give himself a prosthetic. Well, he'd consider it, at any rate. Maybes and babies weren't on his agenda. 

He could hear Ren's heavy footfalls before he came crashing through the doors. Poe whined softly and tugged the blankets up higher over his head just as the door opened properly. Hux sat up and propped himself against the headboard, arms crossed over his chest. 

"Good morning, Ren. What brings you here?" Hux barely avoided sneering at him, but he wasn't looking to pick a fight with the man while he was naked in bed. 

"I've just come from Exegol," Ren said, his voice low and serious. He looked around the room for a moment. "Where is your ysalamir? I know you have one."

"With Techie," Hux said slowly. "What is the problem?"

"We need to speak near the ysalamir. I can only keep him out of my head for so long." Ren made a vague gesture, but Hux understood enough about the Force and Force-users that he didn't question it. But who was _him_?

He tossed the blankets to the side and grabbed his cane to make his way to his closet. He was dimly aware of a short, awkward exchange between Ren and Poe, but he didn't say anything about it when Poe appeared in the closet a moment later. Hux pointed to the section where the droids had hung Poe's things, and they dressed in silence. 

Ren was silent, too, as they headed for Techie's rooms. It was unusual, but whatever he had to tell them, it was clearly important enough to want to ensure whoever was in Ren's head couldn't overhear their conversation. Hux hoped Ren had enough sense to forget about the conversation, later, or at least bury it far enough that no one would be able to pick up on it. 

"I hope that guest you have in your head doesn't remember the way to my planet," Hux said, voice dry and only a little annoyed. "I'll have to update the clearance codes and ban you." He wasn't sorry. Ren didn't argue. 

As soon as they crossed into Techie's rooms, Ren's shoulders relaxed. He'd been so tense, they'd nearly been at his ears. Techie frowned at them, but he didn't get up, only waved. Hux walked closer and squeezed his shoulder. He was working on the prosthetics for Phasma. A smile, and then he took up the ysalamir and settled the heavy weight on his shoulders. It curled around him like it had learned to do on Techie, and he walked closer to Ren and Poe. 

"It's Palpatine," Ren said, voice grave. Hux only blinked. Poe tensed, but he didn't say anything either. Ren clearly didn't have the patience for that to settle. Annoyed, he added, "As in, Emperor Palpatine of the Empire." 

"What the hell do you mean _it's Palpatine_?" Hux demanded in a hiss. 

"On Exegol," Ren said, the annoyance dropping away and grave tension returning. His fists clenched, and Hux was absurdly grateful the ysalamir dampened his Force abilities to the extent that they did. He didn't need Ren throwing a fit in Techie's rooms. 

"But - the wayfinder," Poe said in dawning horror. "The one you gave to Rey!" 

"I've already warned her," Ben said with a slash of a hand through the air. "She won't go alone to face him. She can't. He'll corrupt her, and she knows it." 

Hux was silent for a moment longer, not flinching under Ren's expectant stare. "He doesn't want to kill her. If he wanted that, he could hire any number of mercenaries. But corrupting her from a distance wouldn't be hard." He cut his eyes over to Ren's. "I always told you Snoke was a puppet." He laughed, bitter and mean. "It doesn't surprise me, honestly. Palpatine used you, Ren. Drug you kicking and screaming to your mystical dark side and promised you power. And now he wants to throw you over for the girl." He clenched his hand too tight around his cane, debating killing Ren here and now, before he had the chance to get off-planet. Poe would probably help. They'd been enemies long enough. 

"Rey can't -" Poe started. "She _wouldn't_." 

Hux gave him a sad look. "You'd be surprised at the things people do for family." 

There were sharp intakes of breath from both Poe and Ren. Ren's eyes were wide as saucers. Hux nodded at him, encouraging him to reach the same conclusion. 

"His granddaughter," Ren breathed. "That's why she's so strong with the force." 

"I suspect she doesn't know," Hux said quietly. 

"She was - was abandoned on Jakku." Poe was already arguing, and Hux wanted to pinch the bridge of his nose. He didn't, just held his cane even tighter. "She doesn't remember her parents. She'd never even left Jakku until Finn and the Falcon." He sent an accusing glance to Ren. "Because you were after BB-8." 

"This is bigger than Skywalker and that fucking droid." Ren's shout echoed around them, and Hux watched as Techie slowly removed his headphones. Hux didn't doubt he'd been listening the entire time, but he wasn't pretending anymore. "Luke couldn't defeat _Vader_ , much less Palpatine himself. He was a washed-up has-been even before Crait!" 

"He could have helped now," Poe snapped in return. "Instead it's just you and Rey, and she doesn't even know half of what she's doing, trying to use the Force! But you had to fucking kill him because he was a little too hard on you!"

"He tried to kill me," Ren said, the anger fizzling away. His shoulder drooped. "I was sixteen, and he tried to murder me in my sleep. I woke up with just enough time to deflect his lightsaber. I didn't kill his students. Who do you think makes up my Knights? But we burned it. They saw what he'd done, what I'd had to do to defend myself. They saw everything, and we burned it to ash and left it all behind. Luke felt better about if he lied and told my mother something else. But she never did care for me, so why should I have bothered telling her the truth? She's teaching Rey everything she knows about the Force, everything Luke learned from Master Yoda. In that, she is useful. When she ceases to be so, I will kill her too." 

Poe's face was slack with shock. 

"You need as many allies as you can get against Palpatine. What is he planning out there?" Hux, ever practical, needed to know why Ren had come to _him_. 

"He has an army," Ren said, looking drained and weary. Hux idly wondered how long it had been since he'd slept, then decided he really didn't care. He looked like a little boy, suddenly, and Hux was painfully reminded of how much older he was, how much more jaded. "He has a fleet of Xyston-class destroyers, all armed with planet-killing tech. They're a bunch of Death Stars, and he has _hundreds_ , with a Sith army to man them all. He wants to take over everything. Calls it the Final Order." His fists clenched so tightly the leather creaked. "I can't - I can't. I've been hanging on by a thread to keep the First Order running the way it was intended to run, and I don't want him to destroy it all." He looked at Hux, pleading. "It'll be just like the New Republic, but worse."

"The - the New Republic isn't anything like the First Order," Poe argued weakly. 

"They're worse," Hux said, flicking his fingers. "They take resources and enslave planets and give nothing in return, simply line their own pockets with credits. At least when the First Order does it, we - _they_ ensure the planets don't burn afterward. The First Order brings peace through _order_. That is the entire point. Everyone has a job, everyone is rewarded for those jobs." Poe looked heartbroken. "Techie can give you details later if you want. They took over Arkanis and eliminated the civil wars and in-fighting. My mother may have been little more than a kitchen worker, but she was compensated, and what little I remember of our life there wasn't unhappy. I didn't grow up hungry." 

"I don't want this," Ren whispered. "I don't want him to ruin it. All of it. I fought so hard for the peace we've managed. _Am_ fighting. Hux…"

"You want me to help you, give you another Starkiller. I don't have one." Hux looked away from Ren, didn't tell him the planet they were on now just needed the photon cannon before it was, essentially, another Starkiller. But a single photon cannon had taken nearly three years to build. They didn't have that kind of time. 

"He will come here," Ren said, quiet. "It might take a few years, but you know it as well as I do. He will find this place, and he will take everything you've built." 

"Don't threaten him," Poe snapped, defensive and angry. 

"It's not a threat." Hux looked at Poe. He wanted to touch his face, to hold him close one more time. That was a luxury he couldn't afford. At Poe's dubious frown, Hux sighed. "It isn't. Palpatine _will_ eventually make it here and take everything I've created if we don't stop him from leaving Exegol." 

"Its atmosphere is full of storms," Ren said. "The only way there is with a wayfinder. I have one, Rey has the other. I don't know how they will get out of the system at all, but it must be possible." 

"They probably have a lead control ship with satellites to guide the others," Techie offered. His voice was soft, and he wasn't loud, but Hux nodded in agreement. "If you take out the lead ship and blow the satellites, it would be a lot harder for the others to make it out of the system." 

"Even with all of the First Order, we wouldn't stand a chance. And I'm not in control, not really. Pryde has taken over, led them all to believe I'm another Sith fanatic with no goals and no purpose." Ren looked defeated already, and Hux barely repressed a sneer. 

"Aren't you?" Poe asked, too casually.

"Enough," Hux said. He hadn't had enough sleep for this. The mere mention of Pryde's name had his skin crawling. He looked at Poe. "Go. Tell the Resistance. We will need every ship and pilot we can get." Poe didn't move. Hux turned to Ren. "If you know what's good for you, you will dispose of Pryde and take control once more, _Supreme Leader_. Pryde was a fanatic devotee of Palpatine's. He will join his cause and join your armies to his cause. Don't let him live." 

Ren nodded once. "I'll see that it's done." 

"You wanted to go after him yourself," Poe said, stepping closer to Hux. 

"I believe I promised you an x-wing if you killed him." Hux shrugged. "It's better that he dies at all, and Ren is in the best position to see that it gets done." Poe nodded, reluctantly, but he didn't step away. 

"Keeping Palpatine out of my head is difficult," Ren admitted quietly. "I'm not sure how to go about all this without tipping him off and causing him to bring out his army even faster. He wants the First Order to join his cause and leverage everything we already have with his own forces to take over." 

"So lie," Hux said bluntly. "Lie, even to yourself. If you need suitable motivation to kill Prdye without having to think on what he's doing to the First Order, Techie can provide you with plenty of other intel as a distraction. Surely you can bury your true motivations behind one of your truly epic temper tantrums?" He raised an eyebrow at Ren in challenge. He knew perfectly well Ren had enough emotional instability and PTSD to pull it off, but the question was - would he? 

Ren gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "I have to pretend to be on his side. For now." 

"For now," Hux agreed with a nod. He looked at Poe, still hovering awkwardly close. "We’re going to need the Resistance on this."

Poe had a look of intense concentration, but he wasn't staring at Hux - or Ren, for that matter. He turned and began to pace, turning on his heel and displaying the long-buried New Republican naval training he'd received quite a long time ago, before he'd defected and joined up with the Company. He tugged at his hair as he thought, and Hux and Ren eyed each other for a moment before turning to watch him. 

Techie walked over with a data stick. Hux couldn't look at it, inoffensive as it was. He knew what was on it. The holovids Poe had seen were replicated in the First Order's system files, and Hux had long ago broken into them and given Techie access for whatever he might want or need of their information. Hux had used it himself, a time or two. Still, part of him ached to destroy the bits of plastic and metal until they were little more than powder. He didn't, if only because he knew Ren would need the motivation. 

"What if -" they all turned to look at Poe just as Techie handed over the data stick. "What if Ren leads the bulk of his army to Exegol to _pretend_ to join up with Palpatine?" 

"Are you unaware of how many Imperial loyalists have joined the First Order?" Hux asked, eyebrow arched. "The First Order was born from the ashes of the Empire. Without Palpatine, their goal was not to rule through pain and chaos and force, but through _order_. That aligned well enough with their goals under the Empire's rule that it seemed a worthy trade-off for them. But they were and always will be loyal to Palpatine's Empire."

"What about the others?" Poe said, deadly serious. 

It made Hux wonder where he kept that little side to himself. So often, he was the spice-runner turned Resistance mercenary - even if he didn't think himself as such - that it was often a surprise for Hux to see him take anything seriously at all. Then again, while they had known each other for several years now, much of their relationship - such as it was - had been founded on ridiculously good sex and bargaining for the tools of war. Poe had never needed to be serious about that, not after the first few visits to Hux's residence on Canto Bight, because he'd known he'd get most - if not all - of what he was after. 

"What about the people like you?" Poe was staring at Hux with something unreadable in his expression. "You may still be loyal to the First Order -" He slashed his hand through the air when Hux opened his mouth to protest. "You are. Stop kidding yourself. You're still loyal to their ideals. I know you were conditioned into it, but it's true." Hux felt the bitter taste of bile at the back of his mouth. "So what about the other people in the First Order who aren't loyal to Palpatine and his Empire? What about those who just want peace for the galaxy? Your generation of officers and Stormtroopers? Do you really think they'll roll over and submit to Palpatine's drive to conquer and destroy everything?" 

"No," Ren said quietly, when it became clear Hux couldn't make himself answer. "They won't. But they need someone to show them they don't have to do that." He looked at Hux, too, and Hux felt like he might puke. 

Truth be told, he'd grown up with the dream that he would become the Supreme Leader of the First Order. No one quite understood what it meant, what it symbolized, what it stood for the way he did. Peaceful ruling and ensuring no child had to watch as their planet was bombed to hell and back and watch their mother die was Hux's ultimate goal. Peace, through order. When he'd been nearly killed and then left the Order, he'd originally designed Starkiller to blast the First Order out of space entirely. But he'd grown weary and jaded during its construction, and by the time it was finished, he hadn't wanted anything to do with ruling. 

But he understood what Ren was offering him. Maybe not the title of Supreme Leader, no, but something very close. 

Something perilously like hope began to bloom again in his chest. He couldn't manage to snuff it out. 

"Would you do it?" Poe asked, soft and gentle, like he might spook Hux if he spoke too loudly. Hux couldn't even blame him for it. He felt like he'd left his body entirely. "Would you go and lead the First Order, _your_ First Order, against Palpatine?"

"The officers know and remember you, still," Ren offered. "They talk about you, sometimes. Only the Imperial loyalists and those close to your father have negative opinions. You were the one who stopped them from stealing children, after all. They remember that." 

Poe's eyebrows wrinkled. He clearly didn't know that bit. It was true, though. Hux had turned it into a loyalty campaign, offering those with too many mouths to feed credits and property and other things in exchange for the children they didn't really want to keep. Orphans, often, were sent to the First Order instead of letting them starve on the streets or selling themselves into slavery or indentured servitude. The First Order had fed them and trained them, had given them loyalty, connections, family, and purpose. They had taken up the slack the New Republic left behind and turned it into something truly magnificent. The worlds the First Order ruled did not rip themselves apart in civil wars or gang wars. The syndicates were eliminated, one by one, and the graduated Stormtroopers who had been taken from their homes were often sent back to them to keep them safe and protected. There were flaws, of course there were, no system was perfect, but it worked well enough that most people under the First Order's control were perfectly content to stay that way. 

Hux could still see it, could still taste that dream he'd thought long dead. 

"I'll head for the _Absolution_." Hux looked at Ren, who nodded. He looked at Poe. "Tell General Organa everything so she doesn't misunderstand." He looked to Techie last, who was sitting with his arms wrapped around himself. "It's time to kill our father." 

"I can help," Techie said quietly, as if he knew before he said anything at all that Hux would deny him. "I can, and you know it."

"I know," Hux agreed. "That's why you're coming with me." Techie's eyes went wide with disbelief. "TC!" 

The protocol droid came through the door almost immediately. "Yes, Master Hux?" 

"Tell Mando to help Techie load my transport ship." TC nodded, as much as he was able, and scurried off once more. Hux looked at Poe. "Destroying the Final Order won't solve everything."

"No, but it's a start." Poe smiled. "Think I can have that x-wing you promised?" 

"I promised no such thing," Hux scoffed. He rolled his eyes at Poe's immediate pout. "It's in hangar three." Poe whooped and turned to Techie to scoop him into a hug. "This is great! I feel like we might finally make some decent progress now." 

"I hope so," Techie whispered into Poe's shoulder, just loud enough for Ren and Hux to hear.


	2. Chapter 2

The plan, such as it was, was simple. Hux was going to take over the  _ Absolution _ while Ren did away with Pryde. There were hundreds of other officers to worry about, of course, all high-ranking, but Hux had a plan for that, too. He hoped it would work. Meanwhile, Poe was to return to the Resistance and tell Organa what was going on and send out for every person willing to join their cause. Hux had little faith in them, but the destroyers the First Order had commissioned from him would have to be enough firepower. Less maneuverable, but more power than TIE fighters and x-wings. 

Poe kissed Hux once more before he climbed into his brand-new x-wing. Hux had designed it a while ago, admittedly, and had kept adding tech to it until it was a veritable monster not unlike Ren's custom TIE Silencer. Ren was already gone, having the farthest to travel. 

Hux didn't want to let Poe go, even though he knew he had to. Techie was still gathering his things, putting them all on Hux's transport ship with Mando's and TC's help. They had only a few spare minutes remaining. 

"Whatever happens," Hux tried. He wasn't good with emotions, wasn't good at expressing himself. He thought he had probably always been that way, but the  _ conditioning  _ his father had implemented… well. That just cemented it. 

"No," Poe said, kissing Hux again. "Happy beeps, like I tell BB-8. No negativity." He reached into his shirt and tugged out a familiar leather cord. The dull metal ring hung on the end of it for a moment, then he tugged it over his head and looped it over Hux's. "I want this back, got it?" 

Hux reached up to clutch at it with one hand. Poe had told him, long ago, that it was his mother's ring. Hux had sneered about it, at first, asking why Poe was willing to defile his promise of marriage to whoever had given him the ring in order to sleep with Hux just for a good discount. Poe had explained, then, that his mother had given it to him before her last flight. Hux had never mentioned it again. He was, admittedly, just a little bit jealous. He had nothing of his own mother by which to remember her.

It felt terribly heavy around Hux's neck. 

"Poe." He swallowed hard. "You shouldn't leave this with me." 

"I have to," Poe said, still smiling. "Because when this is all over, I'm going to find you and demand it back. And you can't tell me no, because it's mine." 

It was an insurance policy, of a sort, Hux realized. The metal bit into his palm and fingers as he squeezed it even tighter. It meant more than that, though. And they both knew it. 

"Very well," Hux accepted, voice hoarse. "I accept." 

Poe grinned wildly again and swooped in to kiss him. One last time, Hux told himself. Just this. 

"Go," Hux said, pushing him away. "We have work to do." 

"When this is over -"

Hux cut him off. "Tell me after." Poe nodded, then turned and climbed up into the x-wing, painted in black and bright, bold orange. 

Hux watched him leave, then turned and headed for the transport ship. Mando was just walking down the ramp when he arrived. Hux waved him over. 

"You have options," Hux began. "I can let you leave, now, and you can return to your people with what I've paid you and you never need to see me again." 

"Or?" Mando asked, voice tinny. 

"You can come with us. Or you can stay here." Hux gestured loosely at the space around them. "TC can handle most of it if someone happens to find their way here. But it should stay quiet. Peaceful. The fighting will be far away."

"For staying?" Mando asked, tipping his head to the side slightly. 

"Five hundred thousand credits worth of beskar," Hux answered, face blank. 

"For going with you?" Mando asked, voice dropping. Hux wanted to believe it was with disbelief. He wasn't sure.

"Five million credits worth of beskar." 

That was enough, Hux knew, to help replenish the current meager population of Mandalorians to the former resplendent glory. The Empire had mined Concordia for years, gathering as much beskar as they could. Before his defection, Hux had found a storage facility full of it, and he'd cleaned it out after he'd left. He'd used beskar in building Starkiller base, but he had no desire to use that much of it at one time again - not when it was more valuable to the Mandalorians themselves who would very nearly whore themselves out for a few bricks at the time. 

The Mando before him was silent and still. Hux couldn't decide if he needed to brace himself for an attack, but he thought not. The Mandalorians had a strict code, and this one was technically still conscripted to service by contract. Besides, Hux had just offered him enough beskar to cover fifty high-level assassination jobs. Hux didn’t have much of a taste for bounty hunters, in general, but the Mandalorians were a little different. 

"I'll go," Mando said at last, and Hux barely repressed a smile. "What's the job?"

"Protect Techie, same as always." Hux did technically pay the Mando to protect him as well, but not this time. "If that means jumping ship and getting him to safety, so be it. He is your first priority. We both make it out of this next fight alive, and I'll throw in a bonus."

The Mando held out his gloved hand, and Hux shook it. "You'll live." It was a promise. "Both of you."

Hux didn't repress the smile that time. "I'll arrange it with TC that you'll receive payment even in the event of my death." Mando nodded and then left to help Techie with the last of his things. It was, Hux had realized, nothing but tech. He gathered up the ysalamir and settled it on the ship as well. That ugly lizard was worth every credit he'd spent. 

"Time to go?" Techie asked as he dropped his last crate of supplies on the ship. 

Hux nodded. "Very nearly. Gather whatever else you might want, but hurry. I have to speak with TC and then we're leaving." Techie nodded and left again, so Hux turned his attention to the protocol droid, telling him to keep the planet locked down and to arrange Mando's payment. TC almost seemed sad to watch him go, but Hux ignored it. 

As soon as Techie and Mando were settled, Hux piloted them out of the hangar and far enough from the planet to make the jump to hyperspace. 

He wasn't really prepared for any of this. 

He was putting Techie in danger, but he knew Techie didn't want to remain behind. He was putting himself in danger, as well, but he knew he didn't have much choice. Palpatine was a threat they could not ignore. Nor were any of the other old Imperial elites. 

He tried not to think of it as revenge. 


	3. Chapter 3

Poe's arrival in the brand new custom x-wing wasn't missed. He had nearly every pilot in the Resistance piling around to see it as soon as he'd landed. But there were biometrics keyed into the ship that only allowed Poe to fly it. Part of him was honestly grateful for that. Another part was worried about what might happen if he died away from it and it just had to sit as a husk forever. He'd talk to Hux about it as soon as he could, he figured, and find a way to let someone else have access as well. Hux had left a small, private comm that connected directly to both him and Techie on the seat. He didn’t use it. Not yet.

Poe ignored most of the questions about the x-wing everyone was shouting at him and jumped out asking for Leia. He had to talk to her immediately. Finn managed to catch him at the edge of the crowd and steer him in the right direction. 

"So. Your boyfriend give you that?" Finn's tone was drier than Jakku. Poe grinned and didn't answer, which was probably enough of a giveaway on its own. "Why? I get the feeling he was probably holding out on that particular gift."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure he was," Poe agreed. Still, it made him stupidly happy. He could see all the effort and time that had gone into building it. He was willing to bet Hux had designed it a while ago and then just kept adding things every time he thought of something new. That made it even more special, somehow. 

"So Hux gave you the ship, and what? What are you doing in return?" Finn was shrewdly aware of things like that, even if he was completely naive about other things. 

Poe spotted Leia at a control terminal speaking with D'Acy. "Come on, I don't want to have to tell this story more than once. Is Rey around?" 

"In the woods doing her Jedi thing." Finn smiled at Rose as they walked by her and waved a little, and Poe smacked him hard on the shoulder. "What?"

"Good for you, man, that's all." Poe smiled helplessly. "I'm happy for you. Rose is great."

"She is, yeah," Finn said, a small, stupid smile on his face. Poe couldn't blame him - he probably had the same expression when he looked at Hux sometimes. "Something tells me I'm really not going to like whatever you have to tell us."

"Probably not," Poe agreed. "But it's what we've got." As soon as they reached Leia, he asked, "Is there a way to get Rey back here pretty quick?" 

"I'll send someone out to get her." D'Acy turned back to the console she was manning. 

"What's happened?" Leia asked warily. "I didn't expect you back for at least a week." 

Poe had been gifted with four solid days of alone time with Hux, mostly. Techie had been around, of course, and the Mandalorian Hux had been employing for a few years now, but other than them, it was just BB-8 and a few droids. It had been peaceful - dreamlike. Poe figured that wasn't too far off base. They'd lived that perfect little dream for three entire days and a part of a forth. But he'd known he would have had to leave at some point. It was better this way, he thought. He had a purpose, and he was pretty sure it would go like they'd planned. He tried not to doubt the feeling. 

"Things came up," Poe said, shrugging. "E.T.A. on Rey?" 

"Ten minutes," D'Acy told him. She smiled a little. "Fancy x-wing."

Poe grinned shamelessly. "Oh, trust me, I know." It had more weapons and capabilities than most of their entire fleet put together. He understood why Hux had locked it down for only Poe's use - it was a veritable army unto itself. But he had been with the Resistance long enough to know that sometimes, pilots died, and sometimes, their ships were left behind to be claimed by another. 

Leia eyed him with something like suspicion as they waited for Rey. He knew that look would only get worse, and it wouldn't only come from Leia. Finn was more or less indifferent to Hux - he'd never really known him personally beyond their short meeting on Canto Bight, had been too young to experience the horrors of Hux's training regimen, but he'd heard all the rumors. Rey didn't like Hux because of his ownership over Techie, but Poe knew - had seen first hand - what sort of life Techie experienced even when he was owned. It would only be worse if Techie was free. Poe had a feeling Hux was planning on the eventuality of his death and his alone - and that he would transfer Techie's ownership before he freed him. It had been Techie's choice, the slavery. Poe understood it, even if he didn't like it. The thought of Hux dying made his chest feel tight and hot. He rubbed the feeling away.

When Rey got closer, Poe led them all into the Resistance base on Ajan Kloss and they filed into Leia's private office. It wasn't a large room, but it was soundproof. Poe didn't want to tell anyone else what was going on, not yet. Lieutenant Connix and Commander D'Acy both joined them, as well as General Ematt, and Admiral Statura. It was cramped and crowded and already a little warm. 

"So," Poe said, propping himself against one wall. All eyes were on him. "Bad news first. Palpatine is alive." 

Silence. 

They thought it was a joke, he realized, as Finn and Larma eyed each other. "I'm serious," Poe said flatly. "Ren showed up on Hux's planet and told us. Palpatine is on Exegol. Snoke was a puppet for Palpatine, enabling him to control the First Order. Palpatine has a Sith army and a thousand star destroyers with planet-killing tech, and he plans to absorb the First Order to turn it into the  _ Final  _ Order." 

He looked directly at Leia. "We have to stop those destroyers from getting away from Exegol. If they make it out of the storm system around the planet and into the Known, we'll never defeat them." 

Rey had a far-off look in her eyes. "Ren agrees." Her murmur was nearly overwhelmed by the immediate talking that broke out among them. 

Leia raised a hand and they fell silent. "I assume you returned to us with some sort of plan?" 

"I did, yeah, but you won't like it." Poe sighed and scratched at the side of his neck. He wasn't sure  _ he _ liked it. And not only because it put Hux - and Techie - in immediate danger. "The First Order has a lot of Imperial officers. They joined up because it was the closest thing to the Empire they had, but they're not loyal to the First Order, they're loyal to Palpatine. Pryde, among them." Leia nodded once. She knew and remembered. "Ren is going to kill him. Palpatine is pretty deep into his head, though, so he has to make it look like it isn't planned or calculated. We don't know when he'll be able to do it."

"I take it Hux is a part of this, too," Ematt said dourly. Part of Poe - the possessive little part that thought of Hux as  _ his _ and didn't want anyone else talking badly about Hux - flared bright and hot. He tamped it down as well as he could. Biting off Ematt's head would win him no favors.

"Yeah, he is. He fucking hates the Empire, hates Palpatine. His version of the First Order is pretty different. And, look, I know it's not the best of circumstances, but we have to see him as an ally in this. He wants Palpatine dead just as much as the rest of us. Ren invited him back to the First Order, and I'm pretty sure he'll stay there once he gets control of it again. He's going to kill his father and take over his ship." There were murmurs breaking out already, and Poe knew he had to talk fast. "We didn't confirm it or anything, but I'm pretty sure he's going to lead the rest of the First Order, those who are loyal to it and not the Empire, to mutiny against their commanding officers who are Imperials. Ren has to lead most of the fleet of First Order ships to Exegol to pretend to join up with Palpatine, but Hux is going to give the command to turn on all those destroyers and take out Palpatine's Sith army." 

Kaydel frowned. "But - why? The First Order was built by Imperial loyalists. They were all loyal to Palpatine back then. What makes Hux any different?"

"Because that's not what the First Order is anymore." Poe shrugged. "I've got a lot of information on a data disk Hux's brother gave me. I looked over some of it during the flight back here. The First Order is more like a… I guess a communist New Republic than whatever the fuck you would classify the Empire as. Hux and all the Stormtroopers and all the officers who aren't Imp loyalists were  _ literally  _ brainwashed and indoctrinated into those beliefs. They really believe they're doing the right thing. And they have the stats to prove that at least some of what they're doing works." He held up a hand at Statura as he opened his mouth to protest. "I'm not saying I agree with them or their methods. But it's true, okay? The First Order and the Empire are not the same. Not remotely."

"They want to take over the galaxy," Larma argued hotly. "How is that any different from the Empire?"

"He's right," Ematt said, though he was frowning. "Palpatine wanted total control over the galaxy to satisfy his own need for power. The First Order is structured differently. The Supreme Leader has the most power within their organization, yes, but it isn't quite the same as Palpatine declaring himself Emperor. The Supreme Leader is a figurehead of authority, or it was under Snoke. The officers - Generals and Admirals - made most of the decisions regarding how things were actually run." He gave a grim smile. "I should know. I was undercover for nearly five years." 

"The biggest concern I have," Leia said at last, "is how can we trust Hux?" She looked at Poe, hard. "I know you two are intimate," that garnered a few shocked looks, and Poe had to hide his grimace, though Finn looked smug, "but how do you know he isn't playing you and leading all of us into a trap?"

"You don't," Poe said honestly. That earned him scowls from Ematt and Statura. "But I believe him." He shrugged. "Hux hates the Empire just as much as we do. His version of the First Order? It's vastly different from what Pryde has been doing lately. Even you have to admit that the First Order of ten years ago is not the same as the First Order today." Ematt gave a grudging nod. 

"So, what, we just fly over to Exegol and hope we don't get betrayed?" Finn asked. "Seems like we have a lot more to lose than gain if this goes belly-up." 

"Finn is right," Kaydel said. "We can't trust Hux. And you sleeping with him really isn't going to help us out much in that department. I can understand him not betraying you personally, but the rest of us?" She scoffed. 

"He built Starkiller and sold it to the First Order," Larma said quietly. "Like General Organa has said, he might not have fired it, but that still gives us… very little reason to trust him, now." 

"And Kylo Ren is part of this scheme, too," Statura reminded them all. "He attacked us on Crait and murdered Luke Skywalker."

"To be fair, he was going to do that anyway, no matter where Luke was." Everyone looked to Rey, who feigned nonchalance. "Luke tried to kill him. I've seen both their versions of the memory. Luke didn't deny it. He thought Kylo had been consumed by the dark side, by Snoke, and he was going to kill him to make sure he didn't wind up with another Vader on his hands. But he failed. He said Kylo killed the other students, but they became Kylo's Knights of Ren. They're all still alive." Poe didn’t miss the dark look Rey shot Leia. 

Leia looked white as a sheet, and Poe gently guided her to sit in her chair behind her desk. "But it wasn't Snoke," she said quietly. "It was Palpatine. I should have known." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, composing herself. "Rey?"

"Yes, ma'am?" Rey said, standing a little straighter. 

"Talk to Kylo Ren, please. Find out more about his plans, if you can."

"I've been doing that." She shifted from one foot to the other. "He's on his way to the  _ Supremacy _ , now. Pryde has control of it. He's been watching holovids of Pryde torturing Hux. To help him lie to himself about his intentions for killing him. Palpatine can't know what's really going on." She chewed her lip for a moment. "Right after Kylo killed Snoke, after Crait, Pryde showed up and started taking over. It was subtle, and Kylo was trying to get his hands on the wayfinder and dealing with us and the New Republic with peace talks and trade negotiations, so he wasn't around as much, but Pryde is the one who has done everything, lately." She looked at Statura and Ematt. "Pryde is the one who fired Starkiller and deliberately targeted the Hosnian System to take out as many of the New Republic senators as he could at one time." 

"We knew that," Ematt said, but he shifted uncomfortably. 

"We didn’t know about the torture," Statura said, a little dryly. He shook his head to himself. "The younger Hux was never a major player in any of this, not until Starkiller. His father, on the other hand…"

"Hux is going to kill him," Poe said. He clenched his hands around his arms where he had them crossed over his chest. It still bothered him that Hux had to do that. He wanted to be there for him, after. He knew Hux would never appreciate that, though. "Brendol Hux used his son to create the brainwashing techniques the Stormtrooper academy implemented later under Armitage Hux's control. But when Armitage Hux and some others started poking their noses into why the younger Hux hadn't been promoted, as he should have been, Brendol Hux let Pryde and Brooks torture him, rape him, and plan his death." The room was utterly silent. Poe felt a little guilty airing all of this, but he knew he needed them all on his side, needed them to trust his Hux just a little. Airing all of Hux’s darkest secrets was sure to earn some sympathy points if nothing else. "The younger Hux was sent with a squadron of cadets, not fully trained 'troopers, planetside on a training excursion. He, all of them, were set up. They died, and Hux nearly died. Phasma is the only reason he lived." That had been in the information Techie had given him. The incident reports, Phasma's own commentary, medical records, and so on. Including a few notes Techie had written himself that summarized most of it. "He sat in a bacta tank for almost two weeks, was given bionic eyes because he'd lost his own in an explosion, and then he left the First Order." 

"Shit," Finn murmured. "I never - no one ever mentioned why he'd left or what had happened to him. The rumors at the Academy were all about how Hux had felt snubbed and was bitter about not being promoted." He ran a hand over his hair - cropped short and a little bit badly because Rose had done it for him. "Whatever was left of his personally trained 'troopers mostly died on combat missions, but some wound up as high-ranking officers." 

"This is all very tragic," Ematt said, "but it still doesn't mean we can trust him not to stab us in the back once we're on Exegol."

Larma and Kaydel already looked like they were swinging more toward the "trust Hux" side, and Statura's expression was blank and unreadable. Finn, Poe knew, would probably trust Hux just because Poe had asked him to do so. Rey already did, at least a little, though he didn’t know why. He figured it had something to do with her connection to Kylo Ren.

That just left General Organa. 

"The bigger enemy here is Palpatine." Poe took a step forward, stood straight, and dropped his arms before curling them behind his back to stand at attention. He didn't often do that, but he could tell it made an impression as he looked at all their faces. "We don't have many options. We can stay here, keep harassing First Order ships, and hope the First Order and the Final Order destroy themselves. Or." He took a breath. "We can fight. We can go to Exegol with everything we've got, and we can make sure Palpatine's army is destroyed. I don't know about you, but I can see the sense in working with the First Order. We’ve been working with them on the peace and trade negotiations for the last year. At least they  _ want  _ peace. The Final Order and Palpatine don't. They want control, and they will burn the galaxy to ensure they have it."

Leia, to his surprise, nodded in agreement. "Poe is right. We don't have any choice, here. We can't sit back and rely on the First Order to win this. We can't risk letting Palpatine lead his army away from Exegol. If we do that, we won't win." 

"We would still fight," Ematt said stubbornly. 

"Of course we would," Statura nodded, "but we wouldn't survive more than a few years, if that long. We would be top-priority targets. It may be an uneasy alliance, but against this sort of threat? What other choice is there?"

Silence, again, as everyone processed that. 

Rey broke it. "Kylo is about to land on the  _ Supremacy _ . He'll let me know when Pryde is dead and when Hux - the younger one - has command of the  _ Absolution _ . I think that will be our best bet for ensuring we can work together on this." 

"Yes," Leia said with a nod. "Larma, get me in contact with Lando Calrissian. We need more ships." 


	4. Chapter 4

"Supreme Leader," Pryde greeted as Kylo entered the bridge. "How fortuitous. We've just received word from our spies on Agamar that there has been an increase in Resistance activity in that sector. We're headed there now."

"On whose authority?" Kylo had reforged his mask and wore it now, the black pieced together with brilliant red fissures to show the old breaks. Far from being just another symbol to make people fear him and remember Vader, it also helped to keep Palpatine out of his head. Not much, but enough that he was almost confident he could pull off the lie. 

Pryde stiffened. Perhaps he was shocked by Kylo's response. He'd let Pryde have too much control. Even as he was working through trade negotiations and peace talks with the New Republic, Pryde had been maneuvering behind his back, depositing First Order 'troopers and command stations on various planets and territories that had previously been neutral. 

"The Resistance is the biggest threat we have at the moment, Supreme Leader. Surely it is only to our benefit that we should crush them?" Pryde had a slimy, thin-lipped smile. 

Kylo reached out with the Force, letting it settle around Pryde's neck. A threatening, subtle touch. Pryde tipped his head from one side to the other, as if he were loosening the stiff collar at his throat. 

"I have not spent the last year wading through peace talks for you to subvert my authority and lead  _ my _ army on a wild chase through the galaxy hunting down the brittle remains of the Resistance. They were crushed on Crait. Their numbers are so low as to be inconsequential to our goals, and yet you would waste precious resources and valuable time seeing them destroyed rather than ensuring the territories we already control remain safe." He crushed harder, and Pryde choked. "So tell me, Allegiant General Pryde, do you truly serve me? Or do you only serve yourself?" He thrust one hand up, fingers splayed, and  _ ripped _ through Pryde's mind. 

There were flashes of memories, the sensation of Pryde's overwhelming contempt, fanatic loyalty to the Empire, whispers of Palpatine's influence that were long gone. 

Kylo crushed his throat completely and let Pryde's body hit the shiny black floor with a dull thud. He turned his attention to Captain Peavy, who was currently holding a blaster and pointing it at him. Kylo flung him into the wall, and his spine cracked audibly. 

"Head for the outer rim," Kylo demanded. He turned to the flight deck and found one woman among them standing to face him. “Lieutenant?"

"Stynnix, Supreme Leader," she responded, standing even straighter. She was one of Hux's, he realized. Loyal to the First Order - not the Empire. 

"Congratulations, Captain Stynnix." Her cheeks flushed dark pink. "Send the other officers to the command center. I would speak with them." He gestured to Pryde's body. "Have someone clean up the filth. The command is yours." 

"Yes, Supreme Leader." She gave a smart salute and turned to the flight deck to begin issuing orders to have the  _ Supremacy  _ turned toward the outer rim. 

Kylo headed for the command center. He would rip all their minds to pieces. How  _ dare _ they usurp his authority. He was the Supreme Leader, and  _ he  _ would be the one issuing attack commands. This business with doing whatever they pleased was finished. 

He kept these thoughts at the forefront of his mind, refusing to admit, even to himself, that he was betraying Palpatine. Refusing to admit he found no small pleasure in murdering the men who had tormented Hux so long ago. 


	5. Chapter 5

The  _ Absolution _ was a beautiful ship. The Resurgent-class star destroyer was home to the younger Stormtrooper recruits. Phasma had, even after deriding Cardinal's training methods, kept to training simulations for the younger recruits, only sending them into live combat once they graduated into the more advanced class. The ship held roughly a hundred thousand capable ‘troopers, over 15,000 turbolasers and ion cannons, and was faster than the  _ Supremacy _ . Hux had spent more than a decade aboard this ship. It was more of a home to him than Arkanis ever had been. 

He let one hand rest against the white, durasteel wall for a long moment. He'd never wanted to step foot on this ship again in his life. And now he'd come to take command of it. He wondered what his status in the First Order's logs read as. He'd never bothered to check. Techie probably knew. 

FM-0676 was the one to greet him, and he gave her a small, thin smile. She immediately snapped to attention, her blaster lowered. "Commander Hux, sir." 

"See to it my ship is not disturbed," he ordered. "There's a promotion in it for you." 

"Of course, sir." She took up her post by the front hatch and called over others to take up similar positions around the ship. Hux was proud, even if only for a moment. Still loyal, after all those years. Not to him, not really, but to the First Order. 

Hux made his way to his father's opulent quarters. It took several long minutes. Everyone he passed stood abruptly at attention, saluting him, and didn't relax until he'd moved past them. The officers were visibly shocked to see him, but no one stopped him, and no one dared to question him. That was lax, though, and he would have to correct it. But he could worry about that later. 

The door to his father's quarters opened under the same access code he'd used for decades. How pathetic. He strolled in, easy as he pleased. He felt disconnected, somehow, like none of this was really happening. He seemed to be watching himself from a distance, separated from it as he was. 

Brendol Hux was sitting at his desk, waiting for him, his expression sour and displeased. "So you've returned, have you? Why? You're of no use to me." Ah, that was his father. Only ever judging people based on how much worth they were to him personally. Hux had  _ always _ fallen short. 

"Oh, I don't care," Hux said dismissively. He truly didn't, not this time. It was a heady feeling. He walked closer to Brendol's desk. His father looked old. Much older than when Hux had last seen him. He was wrinkly and thin and weak. Gray. Stooped. "You are a relic of a by-gone age, Father."

"And you are a sniveling -"

"I found your son." Brendol cut himself off with a sharp inhale. Hux knew his father had searched the galaxy for any sign of his trueborn son and had never found him. He picked up a small, useless, decorative cube from Brendol's desk and examined it. "He goes by Techie, these days." 

"Where is he?" Brendol snapped, hands gripping the arms of his chair but not quite standing. "What have you done with my son?"

_ Fed him, clothed him, provided for every need and want. Gave him new eyes. Built an entire planet just to keep him safe from the world when I am no longer around to protect him. _ Hux didn't say any of that, though. 

"He is my slave." Hux smiled, mean and sharp. "I bought him from his last master. He's been a pleasure slave, did you know?" Hux scoffed. "Of course you didn't. You don't truly care. I wonder how my dear stepmother can bear to look at you." He hadn't heard anything about Maratelle in a long, long time. It wouldn't surprise him if Brendol had murdered her. 

"I've always known you were a pathetic weakling. Using your brother as a bargaining chip, are you? Coming here to me to flaunt him." Brendol spat by his feet. "I should have made sure you were dead personally." 

Hux sat the cube back on Brendol's desk. "I don't know where you got that idea. I'm not here to bargain for anything. I'm taking your ship, don't you understand?" 

Brendol snorted a disdainful laugh. "Oh yes? And how do you plan to do that? The officers and graduated 'troopers aboard this ship are loyal to  _ me _ ." 

"No, they rather aren't." Hux slid a blade out from where it was hidden in his cane and stepped around the edge of Brendol's desk. The arrogant bastard wasn't even trying to defend himself. "They are loyal to the  _ First Order _ . I ensured it, or don't you remember, after you gave me the program?" 

"We killed your maniacal little squadron," Brendol said, laughing. "There are none left." 

"On that point, you are quite wrong. FM-0676 is guarding my ship as we speak." He stepped closer to Brendol's chair. "I should have killed you a long time ago for everything you did to me, for everything you took from me."

"You whining little  _ bitch _ -"

Brendol's last word punched out of him with a gasp as Hux slid the blade in his hands underneath Brendol's ribs and directly into his heart. He smiled, all teeth. Brendol's eyes were wide with disbelief.

"The Empire is no more. Only the First Order.  _ My  _ First Order." 

He tugged the blade out of Brendol's chest and watched him gasp and fall from the chair, struggling to breathe even as his heart ceased beating. It took a few minutes before Bredol was completely dead. Long minutes. The pool of blood beneath him was wide, and Hux didn't bother to move away from it as it spread around his shoes. He knelt, slowly - painfully - and cleaned the blade on Brendol's shirt before slipping it back inside his cane and using it to lever himself to his feet. 

Old memories threatened to overwhelm him as he stood in his father's quarters. He shrugged them away and left the room, leaving a trail of bloody footprints as he went. The ship's command deck was close, thankfully. His thigh ached. He was already tired. He'd killed people before - recently, they'd been mostly slavers who had insulted Techie - but he hadn't ever felt so emotionally exhausted afterward. 

The moment he stepped onto the command deck, every officer and 'trooper turned to salute him. He stood straight and tall. He wasn't in any sort of First Order uniform, but they still recognized him, still respected him. 

"I am Armitage Hux," he said, for the benefit of any who didn't recognize him. "General Brendol Hux is dead. I am now in command of this ship. Take us to the outer regions. We will meet up with the  _ Supremacy _ ." 

"Yes, sir, General Hux." The captain said immediately, a hint of a smile on his face. Hux knew him from his own days in the Academy. He was a little older than Hux, and they had been something nearly like friends during a time in the program when no one was allowed such a connection. 

"Captain Lial," Hux said with a nod. He looked at the others. "I have brought with me my younger brother and a Mandalorian who is tasked with his safety and his safety alone. They are not of the First Order, but please respect them as guests." 

"Of course, General," Captain Lial said with a nod. "I will have the former General's quarters emptied for you immediately." Hux didn't actually want to stay there, but they were the nicest suite of rooms on the ship, and it would look odd if he tried to settle elsewhere. Besides, those rooms had two separate bedrooms - one for him, and one for Techie. He would have to have the droids find a place for a third bed for the Mando. 

"Thank you, Captain. Where is Captain Phasma?" Hux gripped his cane harder. He'd only just seen her a handful of days ago, but he ached to see her again anyway. She'd sent him a coded message about requesting to head back to the  _ Absolution _ . He hadn't known why at the time, but it was very likely she'd either suspected something like this would happen, or that she would do it herself. 

"She's aboard, sir." That was a surprise. He hadn't expected her to be here this soon. Whoever had been dealing with her before must have found it difficult and wanted her gone. "HT-7821 will escort you to her quarters." Hux nodded once and turned to leave. A stormtrooper met him at the door. 

"We will return to my ship, first," he said. "My brother has quite a lot of sensitive technology with him. Have a crew get his things transported to our quarters. My brother and the Mandalorian will join me."

"Yes, General," HT-7821 responded. "If I may, sir?" Hux nodded to show his permission. "It is a relief to have you back." 

Hux smiled, just a little. 

They reached Hux's ship quickly, and Hux found Techie standing with FM-0676. He was smiling up at her, his fingers clenched in his yellow sweater. She seemed to be speaking back to him, though they were too far to hear. When she caught sight of Hux, she snapped to attention. Techie smiled at him and waved. The Mandalorian was standing on the ramp to the ship, keeping an eye out. 

When he was close enough, he said, "Techie, get the gifts for Phasma. We're going to see her."

"Okay." Techie smiled and bid his new friend goodbye before heading up the ramp to collect the box with Phasma's new prosthetics. He'd had them nearly finished when Hux and Poe made it back to his planet, and Hux had helped with the finishing touches. 

"FM-0676, General Hux would like his possessions aboard the ship transferred to the General's suite," HT-7821 said. "Leave two people to guard the ship and have a crew work on the transport." 

FM-0676 saluted quickly. "If I may, General?" 

"Yes?" Hux was curious. 

"We've missed you, sir. Welcome aboard." With that, she turned smartly and went to gather a crew. 

Hux was surprised. He hadn't really believed Ren when he'd said people still spoke of him and remembered him fondly. He supposed he was too jaded by his memories of his father and the other Imperial loyalists he'd interacted with so much. He - and Phasma - had created a better training regimen, had improved the morale of the 'troopers under their command, had turned them into the fiercest army known to the galaxy, and had allowed them to prosper. Apparently, that meant more than he'd ever quite realized. He'd never thought fondly of his time aboard this ship, but that wasn't necessarily true for those under his command. He could only imagine the sort of shit his father had changed and implemented in his absence. He would need to talk to Phasma about that. 

Techie and the Mandalorian returned, the Mando carrying the box for Techie. Hux nodded to the other 'troopers and gestured for HT-7821 to lead the way, which he did with a certain amount of pride in his posture and step. 

"This ship is enormous," Techie said breathlessly. "I'm afraid I'll get lost."

Before Hux could respond, HT-7821 turned his head to address Techie directly. "I'll be your escort, sir. Never fear. Anything you need, just let me know."

"Thanks!" Techie smiled widely, and Hux was impressed. Techie was usually nervous around new people. He rarely left their rooms in Canto Bight unless Hux was with him. He enjoyed watching people, though. He wondered if the white armor, meant to inspire fear and order and uniformity, originally, instead made Techie relax. 

They walked for several long minutes before they arrived at the wing of officer's quarters. HT-2187 showed them to the door and then stood beside it at parade rest. Hux knocked. 

It took a moment, but the door eventually opened for them. He stepped inside and allowed himself a small smile. He and Phasma had spent a lot of time in her quarters, drinking and playing dejarik on their off-hours. Phasma herself was in a bed that had been moved from the medbay to accommodate her injuries. She smiled warmly at him. It wasn’t often he saw her without her helmet and armor, but she couldn’t wear it now. She remained intimidating, though, even lacking an eye, an arm, and both legs. He wasn’t surprised to see the blaster by her side.

"I didn't expect to see you again so soon." Hux walked over and squeezed her remaining arm, quick but tight. "Hello, Techie." 

"Hi, Phasma." Techie wandered closer but remained just behind Hux. "We brought you a gift." He waved at the Mando, who approached and set the big box on the bed just below where Phasma's right leg ended halfway down her thigh. She gave Hux a curious look, then reached over and opened the box. Her eyes went wide at the sight of the shiny chromium appendages. 

"Techie and I designed and built them for you," Hux said casually. He reached into the box and took out the smaller box nestled beside the arm. He opened it to show her the light blue iris of the bionic eye he'd designed to match the shade of the one that remained to her. "We can get them fitted and installed whenever you like."

"Immediately," Phasma demanded. She squeezed Hux's hand. "But why are you here again so soon? What about Brendol?"

"He's dead," Hux said neutrally. Phasma nodded sharply. "I am in command of this ship, now. We won't have much time, I'm afraid, but I need you to trust me."

"Always." 

Hux smiled. He knew he could count on Phasma. She was his oldest - and probably  _ only _ \- friend. They'd plotted, long ago, to kill his father, together, but then Hux had been sent on that mission where he should have died, and their plans had never been borne to fruition. Not that Hux blamed Phasma. She'd have been discovered and killed if she'd tried to do it without his help. He'd preferred that she lived, and she agreed to back out of the plan at his insistence. 

"Well, General," Phasma said, drawing him out of his thoughts, "what's the plan?"


	6. Chapter 6

Roughly half the First Order's armada arrived in Exegol's upper atmosphere three days later. Hux had been fitted for a brand new General's uniform, and he wore it with no small amount of pride. His last uniform had been a Lieutenant's and drab gray. The black was stark against his pale skin and red hair, but he thought it was rather fitting. He stood at the fore of the  _ Absolution _ in all his First Order finery, cane in hand. 

The officer in charge of the communications array flipped a switch for a fleet-wide live broadcast. "Attention, crew of the  _ Absolution _ and all others. I am General Armitage Hux, and I am now in command. General Brendol Hux has been executed for his crimes against the Supreme Leader and the First Order at large. 

"We are all loyal, not to any individual, but to the First Order itself. Our goal is to bring peace to the chaotic galaxy through  _ order _ . This has been your life's mission from the very moment you were first placed in the Stormtrooper training program. It has been my life's mission. It is the purpose that binds us together. It is our duty to the galaxy. 

"But there are those who would seek to destroy our hard work. Emperor Palpatine yet lives, and he seeks to rule all. Emperor Palpatine of the former Empire wishes to absorb the First Order into his Final Order and consume the galaxy. His loyal followers are among you now. Your Generals, Admirals, Captains. The Empire is dust, and we of the First Order will not return to those old ways. We will not  _ bow  _ and  _ scrape  _ before a Sith lord. We are more than that, and we are bigger than that. It is our duty as the First Order to ensure we do not succumb to the same chaos which we are trying to command to order. 

"The former Emperor Palpatine has summoned us here, to Exegol, the seat of the Sith Eternal, to bend us to his will and  _ use  _ us to conquer the galaxy for him. We will not do this. Before you are more than a thousand star-destroyers, built in secret and manned by the Sith troops. Where were they when we were scraping together our army? Where was Palpatine when we were nothing more than a rumor in the Outer Rim? Where was he when we first brought peace to a planet in dire need of it? He was  _ here _ , cowering away like the unworthy  _ scum  _ he is. Now he seeks to take all of  _ your  _ hard work, all of  _ your  _ sacrifices, and make them meaningless. 

"We must destroy Palpatine and his Sith army. We will not bow to these fanatics! Among you, there are old Imperial loyalists. They may be your commanding officers, they may be your Generals, your Captains, your Admirals. But now is the time to ask yourselves - will you bow to their goal of eliminating all you have worked so hard to achieve? 

" _ Today _ is the end of the Sith Empire. The end of a regime that acquiesces to  _ disorder _ . At this very moment, on this very planet beneath us, Emperor Palpatine lies to the  _ galaxy _ while the Imperial loyalists among you secretly support his loathsome treachery. These destroyers, which you have built, where you have made your lives and proven your loyalty to the First Order, will bring an  _ end  _ to the Sith Empire, to Emperor Palpatine's secret and precious fleet. We will  _ not _ bow to the Sith Empire! And we will remember this as the  _ last day _ of the Sith lords."

Hux glanced to the side where Captain Lial manned a command station. "We're reading activity from below, sir." 

"Fire at will!" Hux ordered. "Kill the Imperial loyalists! Prove yourself to the First Order to which you have given your lives." The broadcast ended, and Hux focused his attention on the sensor arrays. Just as Kylo had warned, there were thousands of star-destroyers lifting from the planet's surface. 

"We are receiving communications from all the ships, sir. The Imperials have been removed from their posts." Captain Lial risked a tense smile. 

"The Republic should be arriving soon," Hux told him, and his eyebrows raised with surprise. "They are our temporary allies. Send notice to the fleet. Don't shoot them down. Our focus is the Sith army, only. Theirs is, as well." 

"Yes, sir." 

Hux watched as more, smaller ships belonging to the First Order dropped from hyperspace to join them. It still wasn't enough. There hadn't been enough time to amass the entire armada, or Hux would have done so. Whatever chaos broke out because of the lack of First Order ships, it could have been dealt with easily enough after this conflict. 

"Scatter the TIE fighters," Hux ordered. Immediately, orders were relayed, and just half a minute later, swarms of TIE fighters launched from every ship, darkening the atmosphere like a storm. "Our primary target is the  _ Steadfast _ , followed by the  _ Derriphan _ . Go for the cannons on the underbelly of each ship. We'll need to weaken their shields first."

"Orders relayed, General," another officer chirped. "Incoming communique from Lord Ren's TIE Silencer, sir."

"Patch him through." 

"General," Ren greeted. "Take them out." 

"Of course," Hux said, a snide smile stretching his lips. He waved and the connection severed. "Attack." 

Immediately, turbolasers and TIE fighters began attacking the Sith Eternal destroyers. Hux watched impassively. They weren't doing enough damage, even with all their focus on one ship. They needed to be closer. The cannons had the heaviest shielding, to prevent counter attacks just like the one they were launching. 

"Tell the Starfighter Corps to get as close as possible to take out their cannons and cripple their engines as soon as the shields are down." 

Half a minute later, a portion of the TIE fighters went daringly close. Several were shot out of the atmosphere, but many more began dealing heavy damage, wearing out the shields and blowing up the cannons and causing a chain reaction through the Sith destroyer. Hux clenched his fist around his cane. Where the  _ hell _ was Poe?

"Incoming ships sir," an officer shouted. "Dropping out of hyperspace now." 

Hux took a breath as he recognized Poe's brand new x-wing. He idly wondered if Poe had thought to name it, yet. The Resistance ships understood what was happening immediately, and they joined the fray, attacking other destroyers in a similar fashion. He couldn't stop glancing for Poe's x-wing, watching as Poe rolled and dodged and shot down the Sith Eternal's few TIE fighters. 

There were only twenty or so ships. Hux cursed, wondering where the hell the rest of them were. This couldn't be all they had to work with. It wasn't enough - couldn't be enough. 

One by one, the Sith destroyers began to explode, falling back toward the planet as they burned. Lightning streaked the sky, coming in faster and longer bursts. He'd heard of Palpatine's control over lightning, and he wondered if he had the power to harm one of their ships that way. One TIE fighter was struck, and he watched as the pilot plowed into another destroyer, successfully exploding an engine and causing the destroyer to tilt. 

Some of the Sith destroyers began firing their planet-killers, taking out more than half of a First Order dreadnaught before it began to rock with explosions throughout the ship, eliminating more than a squadron of TIE fighters, taking down three or four of the x-wings. 

Hux searched the radar for Poe's ship and had to shut his eyes for a moment. 

"Aim all turbolasers at the  _ Steadfast _ ," Hux commanded, looking to Captain Lial. "Pinpoint their satellites and fire. We cannot let them leave the atmosphere." 

"Yes, sir." The captain relayed the commands to the other ships. It left them vulnerable to attack from Sith destroyers, but they had little choice. Another dreadnought launched seemingly every ship onboard just before it was hit with one of the Sith cannons.

It took three long minutes, but eventually every destroyer in the First Order fleet was aiming at the satellites. The explosion was magnificent. It sent the  _ Steadfast _ careening back toward the planet's surface. It wasn't enough, though. Couldn't possibly be enough. There were still too many Sith destroyers. 

"Again, but target the  _ Derriphan _ ." 

The second ship bore the brunt of the attack less successfully, weakened from other attacks, and it began to rock with explosions. The battle wasn't over, but with those two gone, it would be far harder for the others to escape the atmosphere.

"Captain Lial, you have the deck." He turned, without waiting for a response, and headed for the command center above and behind the flight deck. It was a small fortress, and he had access to an escape pod as well as a full communications array. The ship rocked gently from an explosion, and Hux called up a view of the ship to see the damage report. Four of their turbolasers had been destroyed. There were still over nine hundred Sith destroyers. 

He grabbed the small, private comm that kept a direct line to Poe. It took over two minutes before Poe responded. The sounds of the battle were far louder over the connection. 

"You better not die, Dameron," Hux threatened. 

"Yeah, well you either,  _ General _ ," Poe said, laughing breathlessly. "You're taking heavy fire."

"It's nothing," Hux denied, even as he watched another section of the hologram of the ship go red with damage. "Is this all you could muster?"

"Well, we're hoping for a few more," Poe admitted. He was hit with a blast and grunted at the impact. "You really should have kept Starkiller for yourself. We could fucking use it right about now."

Hux pinched the bridge of his nose. "Too bad. You blew it up, remember?" Poe laughed again. "Poe…"

"Not now, General. Tell me after. We've got a battle to win." Poe cut the commlink and Hux frowned at the hologram display of the  _ Absolution _ . It was already falling to pieces. 

He sent a message to Mando telling him to be ready with Techie on a ship in case they needed to escape. The Mando said they were already there, and then demanded to know where Hux was. 

"Trying to win this bloody battle," Hux murmured to himself. The ship shuddered again, and he returned to the command deck. 

The Sith Eternal destroyers had taken a page out of their book and had begun focusing all their attention on the  _ Absolution  _ and the  _ Supremacy _ . Even as more and more of the destroyers were picked off one-by-one, the two ships bearing the brunt of the attack couldn't possibly hold up long enough. He shut his eyes for a brief moment.

"If we become disabled, get as close as you can to the Sith navy and commence self-destruction." 

"Yes, General," Captain Lial agreed, grim-faced. 

The ship shook again, and the large hologram of the  _ Absolution  _ showed where one of the eight super-massive engines had been destroyed. The shields were down entirely, now, and their weapons systems were being picked off slowly but surely. A second engine blew, and then a third. 

"Incoming ships, sir," an officer called. "Looks like about fifty, mostly small-craft." They began dropping out of hyperspace right in the middle of the Sith fleet. It didn't take them long to start firing, targeting weak points already established by the other ships engaged in the battle. A huge swath of them was taken out by a single Sith planet-killer. 

It wasn't enough. 

"Engine 7 is down!"

"Six more ion cannons down!"

"Taking evasive action!"

"Two more turbolasers out!"

"Get us out of range of that cannon!" 

"Engine 4 has been destroyed!"

"Hangar two is fully inoperative and has been sealed!"

"Dorms on the southeastern side are gone!"

Hux watched as his ship was ripped apart, piece by piece. The Sith destroyers were falling faster now because the Resistance crew had found bombers. It still wasn't  _ enough _ . 

"How many Sith destroyers remaining?" Hux asked. 

Lial flicked screens. "Of 1,081, there are 479 remaining." 

"Focus all remaining arms at one point for the closest Sith destroyer and fire until disabled." It was the best tactic. The only tactic. More than half their weapons and engines were gone. Hux watched as another First Order destroyer began to explode, hit with the damn planet-killer. 

Either someone had relayed Hux's self-destruct orders, or the ship had had the same idea. He watched as the entire ship blew into pieces, taking massive chunks of three Sith destroyers with it. 

"One engine remaining, General." Captain Lial looked up at him. "We'll begin maneuvers to get as close as possible." Hux nodded and sent word to the Mando to evacuate immediately. 

The lightning around the ships somehow grew even more intense. Hux watched as a Resistance fighter was crippled in a blast. The  _ Absolution  _ limped slowly toward the center of the remains of Sith armada. The self-destruction of a different First Order destroyer took out five more Sith destroyers. 

"164 Sith destroyers remaining," Captain Lial reported. "We're down to twenty turbolasers and four ion cannons." The majority of the hologram of the  _ Absolution  _ was bathed in red. 

"Begin self-destruct sequence." Hux's words were met with a breath of silence. 

"Self-destruct sequence initiated," another officer said, quiet.

The crew on the command deck watched in silence as their ship neared the Sith destroyers. 

"Fire on my command," Hux said, his voice echoing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> stole part of the speech straight from tfa


	7. Chapter 7

Poe watched in horror as the  _ Absolution  _ got closer and closer to a tightly-packed circle of Sith destroyers. He'd seen what was happening with the other First Order destroyers. He knew what was coming. He felt sick. 

"My friends," Poe started, choked. "I'm sorry. I thought we had a chance. But there's just too many of them…"

A crackle over his comm alerted him to a new line. "But there are more of us, Poe." His eyes widened. "There are more of  _ us _ ." He dropped away from a wing he'd used for protection and flew around it. 

_ Thousands  _ of ships began to appear in the atmosphere, dropping out of hyperspace. Old junkers, ships cannibalizing parts from others and pieced haphazardly together, the  _ Falcon _ right in the front leading the way. 

"Look at this," he whispered, mostly to himself. "Look at this!" BB-8 squealed, high and loud. A grin stretched over Poe's face. He heard Lando's laugh over the comm and spun to rejoin the fight. "Hit those underbelly cannons. Every one we take out is another world saved." 

Squadrons of twenty ships immediately began to form up and start shooting out the big cannons under the Sith destroyers, weakening their remaining shields in no time at all. Poe flitted from group to group, lending his considerable firepower and leading them toward the ships surrounding the  _ Absolution _ . 

He flicked on his private comm line to Hux. "Cancel your self destruct. We've got this covered." He grinned and laughed with each Sith destroyer he helped to take down. 

"Nice job, flyboy." Hux's voice was soft, almost pleased. 

"You're welcome, buckethead." He whooped once more before cutting the connection and swinging around the  _ Absolution  _ to take out another Sith destroyer. BB-8 was chattering non-stop behind him. 

And then, with burned husks of Sith destroyers falling back to the planet's surface all around them, he heard Finn. 

"Red Five is in the air!" Poe searched for a moment before he saw the old x-wing sifting through the destruction to get to the upper atmosphere. "Rey's alive. We did it, Poe."

"We did it." Poe looked over at the  _ Absolution _ . There was no way it could get out of the atmosphere. Many of the other First Order ships were in a similar state. 

Poe took a breath and opened a comm line to all ships in the vicinity. "Let's keep the truce alive, guys. These First Order ships took the brunt of the damage for us, and it's time for us to return the favor. Anyone who has the space, take passengers and head to Ajan Kloss."

Messages about remaining escape pods and transport ships and their capacity and how many people would need rides began to filter in, running over each other. Poe switched to specific ships and began relaying information. The Resistance ships went where he told them to go, taking on passengers to their max capacities before launching into hyperspace. 

He flew directly to the  _ Absolution _ and docked. Hux was already in the hangar, supervising as escape pods ejected all over the ship and officers and 'troopers alike boarded Resistance ships. Poe jogged over to him, helmet in his hands, smiling. 

"I have just enough room for one person," he said cheerfully. 

Hux smiled, barely. "I believe we'll reserve that seat for me. I've already told the Mando to take Techie to Ajan Kloss. They're in hyperspace already. Many of the crew fit on transport ships and are already gone." He turned to the man beside him. "Captain Lial, find a ship. I'll wait until everyone is gone." 

"Yes, General." The captain saluted and headed off to join the diminishing crowd of those waiting for transport. 

"We need to stay long enough for me to re-initiate the self-destruct sequence and kill the engines. I mean to blow this planet to pieces."

Poe squeezed Hux's fingers. "Okay. Let me check on everyone else. I'll signal you." Hux nodded and watched as the last few of his Order boarded Resistance ships and left. The  _ Absolution  _ felt enormous with no people aboard - a dead, empty shell. He checked in with each group and ensured they were all getting out of the atmosphere. It took a few more minutes, but Poe finally got the all-clear from Lando, who had been supervising and ensuring no one was left behind.

He stuck his hand out of the cockpit and gave Hux a thumbs up. Hux nodded once and began poking at a control panel. The klaxons blared, and Hux limped to Poe's ship as quickly as he could. Poe leaned halfway out and grabbed Hux's arm, first, then his torso, and helped to lift him into the cockpit. As soon as Hux was in the seat behind him, he shut the cockpit and zipped away from the  _ Absolution _ . 

"How long do we have before it goes nuclear?" Poe asked, dodging debris. 

"About thirty seconds." Hux squeezed his shoulder. "Better pick up speed to get us out of the blast range."

"Hear that, Lando? Get going." Poe increased thrust as much as he could and still manage to avoid the broken ships around them. 

"You, too, Dameron," Lando said with a chuckle. Lando's ship made the jump to hyperspace, and Poe kicked up the thrust on his x-wing, barely dodging flaming metal falling toward the planet. 

"Five seconds," Hux said, tense. 

"I got this." He tried to play it cool, but he was worried. 

And then, with probably only a second left to go, he found an opening. He shot through it and toward the uppermost atmosphere with all the thrust the x-wing was capable of and immediately jumped to hyperspace. The waves of the blast behind them rocked the end of the x-wing, but they made it. 

"We're safe, Techie," Hux said, sounding tired already. Poe was still jittery with adrenaline. BB-8 was yelling at him about the engines, but they were fine, they'd get them back to the Resistance. "Ten minutes until Ajan Kloss." 

"I'll wait for you. Phasma is here, by the way." Poe heard Hux breathe a small sigh of relief. "Oh, and so are Kylo and Rey. I'm going to say hello." 

"Keep Mando with you," Hux warned. Techie laughed lightly and agreed with a hum and the comm cut out. Hux squeezed Poe's shoulder again. "Thank you." 

"No, thank you," Poe said. "I meant what I said. If you guys hadn't taken most of the hits, we'd be dead." He reached up and squeezed Hux's fingers. "Now let's celebrate our win, okay? We can do negotiations and shit tomorrow. Or in a week."

"Tomorrow," Hux agreed, "or in a week." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> stole more dialogue from the movies


	8. Chapter 8

Ajan Kloss was covered in ships. Hux was a little horrified by the state of some of them. Some even looked to be pre-Imperial junkheaps. He shook his head at the crowds around the ships, all of them celebrating. He'd never thought he'd see the day when Resistance fighters and the First Order were all celebrating together, but here they were. Someone had already broken out bottles of alcohol. Several someones, he realized. 

Poe found a place to land that was close to the escape pod Techie and Mando had left in. Hux could see Techie's bright orange hair in a small crowd of people, and he relaxed at the sight of him. He was smiling and talking to the dirty and exhausted looking Kylo and Rey. They were sitting on the ground and leaning against one another to stay upright. 

"It's a good thing Ajan Kloss is temperate," Poe said as he settled the x-wing gently. "We definitely don't have enough room for all these people." He laughed, quietly, and lifted the hatch for the cockpit. 

"I'll have the remainder of our fleet come by with transport shuttles a few at the time to get everyone back to the First Order ships." He rubbed at his forehead. "Though we'll need to relocate to one of our planetside bases." He saw his 'troopers and officers standing mostly within their own groups, but some of the 'troopers had already taken off their helmets and were speaking with the Resistance members who'd been brave enough to get close. It wasn't, he told himself, a bad thing. 

It was difficult for Hux to get out of the x-wing, but Poe helped get him to the ground and settled on his own two feet. Phasma was by his side in a moment, embracing him warmly. She'd already tossed her helmet elsewhere and had stripped out of parts of her armor, as well. As the heat and humidity began to seep into his bones, he found he didn't blame her. He even shrugged out of his greatcoat and left it draped on a piece of Poe's x-wing. 

Poe and Phasma flanked him as he made his way to Techie, who ran over and hugged him as soon as he spotted him. Hux clutched him tight in return, allowing himself a moment to feel grateful Techie hadn't been harmed. 

"Sit down, Armitage," Phasma said, exasperated with him. She nudged him toward the ramp of Techie's escape pod, and he sank onto it, more than grateful. She then turned to look at Poe. "You must be Dameron." 

"At your service," Poe said, too cheerful and still hyper from the adrenaline. "Did Hux mention me?" He grinned wildly. 

"In a way," Phasma said, a small, amused smile on her face. She bent close and whispered something into Poe's ear. Hux was too tired to care what it was. Knowing Phasma, probably a death threat. She was good at those - creative, too. She stood straight once more and gave Poe a hard look. Poe blinked up at her and nodded a few times.

"Yeah, I got it," he said. Then he grinned again. "We're good." 

Phasma turned to Hux. "General, I will go and see to our troops and have them establish their camps for the night. I've already spoken to Captain Stynnix. She's on the  _ Finalizer _ . She'll arrive in the morning with a few ships and plenty of transports. Mitaka was promoted to Captain, as well, and he's currently commanding the  _ Fellfire _ . He responded to my summons as well, though it will take an additional day for him to arrive." 

"Thank you," Hux said, feeling like a part of the weight on his shoulders was lifted. "We have… a lot to do." 

Phasma hummed her agreement. "Tonight, though, let them celebrate. We destroyed the Final Order and Palpatine is dead. We can begin restructuring tomorrow."

"She's right," Poe said, settling beside Hux on the ramp with a big sigh. "Let everyone party tonight. We deserve it. We lost a lot of people today, and we should drink to them." Something crumbled Poe's expression for a moment before he forced it to smooth out. He looked over and smiled a little, and Hux followed his gaze. Rey was asleep against Kylo's chest, his arms wrapped protectively around her. Something had clearly happened while they were fighting Palpatine. Even if Hux didn't know the details, he knew enough to leave them be. They were a symbol for the peace talks and negotiations. 

"Ren," he said with a nod. To his surprise, Ren gently woke Rey and had her shift to the side. He climbed to his feet, slow and clearly painful, and walked toward Hux.

"General Hux," he said, voice quiet. "I believe I'll step down from my role as Supreme Leader." He smiled, warmly, and Phasma and Poe both helped Hux to his feet when they understood what was happening. 

"'Troopers!" Phasma shouted, her voice carrying. "Attention!" 

All around them, 'troopers snapped to attention, turning to face the scene before them. The sound seemed to echo across the plains as more and more 'troopers came to attention. With the stillness and silence, it was easy to pick out the Resistance fighters. They had come to attention, as well, or most of them had some approximation for it. Phasma smiled at Hux. 

"Lord Ren," she said, nodding to him.

"Thank you, Captain," Ren said, nodding in return. Ren turned and looked at them all, then faced Hux. "Armitage Hux, I name you Supreme Leader of the First Order." He bowed, low, and Hux felt as if he couldn't breathe. 

"Hail, Supreme Leader!" Phasma shouted, leading the salute. 

"Hail, Supreme Leader!" The cry went up, again and again, as more and more 'troopers answered. 

Poe nudged Hux's arm. "Hey, there, Mr. Supreme Leader. You gonna keep this truce we managed today?" 

"Well, that depends," Hux said, leaning a little closer. "How do you feel about becoming an ambassador between the First Order and the Resistance or New Republic or whoever takes control after this?" 

"It'll mean a lot of time away from the Resistance," Poe said, already starting to smile. 

"Lots of meetings, lots of politics," Hux agreed. 

"Lots of time for you two to sneak off and leave me with all the work," Phasma said, a tad too cheerfully. 

Poe tossed his head back in a laugh. "Only if you're willing, then, Captain." 

"General," Hux corrected idly. Phasma wrapped her arms around him - one flesh, one chromium - and squeezed. "Well, Ambassador?" He looked at Poe with a small, creeping smile. 

"Ambassador Dameron," Poe said, rubbing his scruffy chin. "I could get used to that." He added his arms to Phasma's embrace, and then Techie jumped in, too. 

Hux held out one hand to Kylo Ren. They clasped wrists and held fast for a long moment. Rey, behind Kylo, was smiling, even as exhausted and grimy as she was. 

"What will you do?" Hux asked. 

"I don't know yet. But this… Sith versus Jedi conflict needs to end." Rey nodded and leaned against Kylo's side. 

"We'll figure it out," Rey said, chin held high. "All of us. Together." 

There was a break in the crowd, and General Organa stepped forward. She was conspicuously alone. Kylo and Hux released each other's wrists. Rey stood straight on her own. Phasma, Techie, and Poe released Hux. 

He stepped forward first, meeting General Organa halfway. She gave him a thin, brittle smile. It was so easy to see she wasn't altogether pleased by this turn of events. 

"Supreme Leader," she greeted with a nod. 

Hux decided to play fair, nodding in return. "Princess." 

"Do you mean to uphold our truce?" Hux had to admit, it was refreshing to deal with someone who got straight to the point. He didn't feel the tell-tale nudge of the Force against his mind. He wondered why she wasn't bothering to see if he was lying. 

"I do," he said anyway, truthfully. "As I understand it, the Resistance, the New Republic, and the First Order were already negotiating before this mess. I do not intend to start another war. Cold or otherwise." 

"I'm glad to hear it. We'll set up a meeting on Coruscant soon. I hope to see you there, Supreme Leader."

It was obvious she meant it as a threat. If he didn't show, it would appear to everyone that Hux wasn't keeping his word about the truce. 

"Send me the details," he said, voice lofty and a smidgen more arrogant than was truly called for. "I wouldn't want to delay things simply because of a lack of communication." His threat, that he knew she would likely try to sabotage his plans, landed. He could see it in the slight twist of her lips. 

"I'll see that you have them." She shifted and turned her attention to Ren. "Kylo Ren." Well, that was good. She hadn't started by attempting to lead with Ren's former name. Something in her softened. "I failed you, years ago. For that, I'm sorry." 

"It's not enough," Ren said, shaking his head. "You know that." 

Hux wondered why she was trying to do this here and now, in front of everyone. Some of the chatter had started up again not long after her arrival, but Stormtroopers were terrible gossips. Everything said would filter through the rank and file spread around them. 

"I do," she said, nodding her acceptance. "I just wanted to make sure you heard it from me personally. I  _ am _ sorry. For everything." 

Hux wondered if she was more sorry about how her own actions had caused her so much inconvenience. Ren clearly wasn't jumping to forgive her, which was probably what she'd hoped for. They  _ were _ celebrating, after all, and those who were still hyped up with adrenaline were bouncing all over while those who were crashing from it were dropping like flies. She'd probably hoped to take advantage of the weakness. 

"I'll accept your apology," Ren said slowly, "but don't think this changes anything."

"Of course," Leia said, nodding. She was clearly disappointed, but Hux was unsympathetic toward her feelings on the matter. To his great shock, he was rather more concerned about Ren. He supposed they'd become something like friends over the last year. "Enjoy your celebrations." She turned without further acknowledgement and made her way back toward the Resistance base. 

Poe helped Hux sit again, and that broke the tension. Techie sat at Hux's back, tucked into a small space. The Mando stood guard over them both. Phasma clapped Hux on the shoulder before heading off to see to her 'troopers, and Ren and Rey settled on the ground once more. The defector, FN-2187, now Finn, appeared not too long after that, a short, pretty mechanic by his side. They crowded in on Rey's side of their weird little circle. 

"So," Finn said, looking between Hux and Ren. "Allies?" 

Ren nodded. "Yes." 

"Agreed," Hux said when Finn looked to him. 

"Good. That means I can share." Finn opened his jacket and revealed four smuggled bottles of cheap, strong liquor. He grinned and passed them around the circle. "We deserve to celebrate, don't you think?" 

"BB-8 will want to join the fun," Poe said, smiling. "I'll get him." He squeezed Hux's shoulder before heading over to his x-wing and the custom astromech droid in the back.

"You're an engineer, right?" The girl who had arrived with Finn was addressing him, he realized belatedly. He nodded. "Cool. I'm just about the last of the mechanics around here, and I have some ideas I need to bounce off someone. Gonna stick around tomorrow?"

"I'll be the last to leave," Hux said. "Phasma and I need to ensure none of our ‘troopers are left behind." They also had to figure out where the hell they were going to  _ go _ , of course. But that could wait until Hux was less tired. He hadn't done the fighting himself, no, but it had been hard to send his army -  _ his _ First Order - up against the Final Order and watch so many of them die. There were far more 'troopers around than Resistance fighters, but they'd lost more than half their numbers, and all their bigger ships had been destroyed. 

"Cool," the girl said, her casual tone forced. "I'm Rose Tico. I'll be in the base tomorrow working on repairs. Come and find me before you leave." 

Hux didn't know why he agreed, but he nodded. "Very well." He took one of the bottles and had a long drink from it, grimacing at the taste and the burn. But it almost immediately helped some of the tremors he was still feeling in his arms and legs. "Out of curiosity, what did you wish to discuss?" 

Finn shook his head and rolled his eyes, but Rose smiled brightly. "Well…"

"Wait, wait," Poe interrupted. "You guys can get your geek on later. BB-8 wants to say hello.” 

Techie immediately greeted him and began talking to BB-8 about his mods and the bits of damage he’d gained during battle while trying to keep Poe alive. Poe sat on the ramp beside Hux once more and swiped a bottle for his own drink. "Feel free to come up with more mods for him, Techie. He deserves to live it up after keeping my sorry ass alive out there." Techie beamed at him, and then went back to conversing quietly with the droid. 

Hux shamelessly leaned against Poe's side as he pressed their shoulders together, and he let the conversations wash over him without engaging much himself. At some point, Rose pulled him into discussing energy sources for planet-side bases, and they discussed the merits of attempting to find alternate fuel sources for ships like the TIE fighters and x-wings who couldn't use solar panels and charge every time they were close enough to a star. It was interesting, to say the least, but Hux was exhausted beyond measure. 

Finally, once the suns of Ajan Kloss had fallen beyond the horizon and darkness had settled over them all, Hux retired to his ship - the one he'd flown from his planet to the  _ Absolution _ , the one Mando had taken with Techie to Ajan Kloss. Techie was already asleep on a small couch, BB-8 in low power mode with a pile of parts around him just beside it. Mando was sitting in the copilot’s chair that he'd turned to keep watch over his charge. Poe stepped into the ship a moment later, still calling out his goodnights and well wishes, and then he took Hux's hand and they walked slowly to the small set of sleeping quarters in the back of the ship. There wasn't much in the room besides a bed, but it was just large enough for the pair of them. 

Poe stripped and ducked into the sonic shower while Hux removed his uniform piece-by-piece. The last two Supreme Leaders had been Force-users and hadn't taken to any sort of traditional uniform, but Hux could dimly recall the ribbons that were intended for the office - along with a dark red sash to match the First Order insignia. He would have to have one of those made for himself as soon as he reached whichever base they landed on. Poe stepped out of the sonic shower and helped Hux get his boots off, then tugged Hux's trousers away once he was lying flat on the bed. 

They curled up together on the bed, wrapped in each other. Poe reached his hand up to wrap his fingers around the ring Hux still wore around his neck. 

"How long have we known each other, now?" Poe asked quietly into the darkness. 

"Nearly five years," Hux answered. 

Poe chuckled dryly. "I feel like I've gotten to know you better over the last three weeks than in all that time." Hux could only nod in agreement. "Are - are you sure you want to keep this going between us?" Hux's breath caught, but he forced himself to exhale and take even, measured breaths. "I mean. You're the Supreme Leader, now. I'm just a pilot."

"You're an ambassador, now," Hux countered. He twisted his fingers around Poe's where they still rested on his chest. "Besides, I don't think there's anyone else I could tolerate long enough to manage peace treaties and trade negotiations."

"Is that all it is?" Poe sounded so very insecure. It wasn't like him.

Hux tightened his grip. "You know it isn't."

"Then, what?" Poe asked, desperation clear in his tone. "What - what are we doing? Are we still just - opportunistic lovers?" He snorted at the term he'd used. 

"I don't know," Hux admitted. He was glad it was dark and he didn't have to look at Poe. "What do you want this to be, to mean? I can't promise to defect from the First Order, and you're too much of a rebel to join us properly. I said you could be an ambassador because I can't think of any other way for us to see each other regularly. But you don't have to accept. I'll find someone else, if necessary."

"I'm no good at politics," Poe said. 

"It's just light fighting, but without the x-wing," Hux said easily. "Senators are downright vicious." 

Poe uncurled his hand from the ring and splayed his palm over Hux's heart. "What if I - just want to be with you?" He sighed and curled his hand into a fist. "I'm tired of fighting, tired of losing people. My - my best friend died today. And I watched as he exploded, listened to his screams. I can't keep doing that. If that means I have to be an ambassador to keep the peace between everyone, I will, but  _ fuck _ . I don't want to do that anymore." 

Hux sat in the silence for a long moment. He eventually moved his hand to cover Poe's fist. "You don't have to do that. I meant what I said about maintaining the truce. It's better for everyone, and I have spent enough time watching things unfold from the shadows that I at least know what  _ not _ to do. I'll manage. I was practically raised to do this." He snorted. "Not that my father ever would have allowed his son to hold a position higher than his, but the point remains." 

"You killed him?"

Hux nodded against Poe's chest. "I stabbed him in the heart." 

"Not sure if I'm supposed to congratulate you or give my condolences." Poe opened his hand and slid it down to Hux's ribs, just holding him. 

"Either. Both. Neither." Hux rolled his eyes. "He needed to die, and I needed to kill him. It's done." He put his own hand over Poe's chest. "Whatever you decide you want to do, it's fine."

"I want to stay with you," Poe admitted, almost as if he was ashamed. "But in what capacity? Lovers? Partners? Political allies?" He paused. "Ex-lovers?"

Hux sat up, abruptly, Poe's arm falling to his waist. "What do you  _ want _ , Poe? What are you asking? Speak plainly. I'm tired of wordplay. I watched more than half of my First Order die today, so if you don't mind, I'd like to resolve this and get some sleep." He didn't mention that the last time he'd had more than a quick nap was back on his planet with Poe in his bed before Ren arrived and told them about Palpatine. 

Poe sat up, too. Hux could feel the bed shift and hear the sheets slide over skin. He wrapped his arms around Hux from behind. "I'm pretty sure I love you." 

It wasn't what Hux had expected to hear. 

"And I get it. I'm probably still loopy from the battle and everything, and yeah, we've been fucking for years. But that isn't the same as being  _ together _ together. I got a taste of that on your planet, and I liked it too much. I can't stop thinking about it. About waking up in bed with you every day, about spending all my time with you. I can't stop thinking about  _ you _ and it's driving me crazy because I don't know what to do about it or how you feel about all this. Admit it, Hux, you aren't the type for commitment."

Hux blinked slowly, though he couldn't see anything. "I committed my life to the First Order,” he said slowly, quietly. "I left when my father tried very hard to kill me, but you saw - the very moment Ren asked me to return, I did. After more than ten years away from the First Order, I still went back in an instant." He turned his head, pretending he could see Poe's outline, at least. "My version of  _ commitment _ is nothing to take lightly."

They were both quiet after that. Poe was still wrapped around him, so he thought that was probably not a bad thing, but he couldn't be sure. Maybe Poe was just gearing himself up to walk away, once and for all.

"Would you try, with me?" Poe finally asked. "I don't know if it'll work out. I don't. But I want it to. I want  _ you _ ."

Hux clutched at Poe's hand where it rested low on his chest, just above his stomach. "You won't regret it?"

"I came back after  _ Starkiller _ ," Poe reminded him none too gently. "I guess I have a capacity for forgiveness that I wasn't aware of." He pressed his lips to the back of Hux's neck. "No, I don't think it's possible for me to regret being with you." He pressed another kiss to Hux's shoulder. "I think I've loved you for a long fucking time. I can't just let that go."

"I don't think I'm capable of love," Hux whispered. 

"You love Techie," Poe said. "I'm pretty sure you love Phasma the same way I loved Snap. You haven't been shown what it's like in too long to understand it." He kissed Hux's shoulder again. "Will you try? That's all I'm asking, but I know it's a lot."

"Very well," Hux said, sighing and leaning back against Poe. "I will try. We'll talk about everything else in the morning. I can hardly think for how tired I am."

Poe laughed and helped Hux lie back down against the pillows and his chest. "Goodnight." 

"Mm." Hux was already too close to sleep to respond properly. He felt a final kiss against his hair before he wasn't aware of anything else. 


End file.
